Country Italy Denomination Catholic Church | Parishes 26 Rite Roman Rite | |
 | ||
Ecclesiastical province Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela Population
- Total
- Catholics (as of 1980; united 1986 to Messina)
13,550 (est.)
13,048 (est.) (96.3%) | ||
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lipari was a Latin diocese of the Roman Catholic Church located in the town of Lipari in the Aeolian Islands of Sicily, Italy. The diocese consists of the entire island of Lipari as well as seven smaller adjacent islands. It is now incorporated into the Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela.
History
The diocese of Lipari had already been erected by the 5th Century. The names of several early bishops are attested:
Lipari is a volcanic island. Its last major eruption took place in 729, leaving a high pumice cone which is 476m (1570 feet) high; the population must have fled, at least temporarily. One crater, called Monte Pilato, is mined for pumice and has numerous caves. There are still hot springs and fumaroles.
In 1544 the pirate Barbarossa completely depopulated the island. It was at the direction of the Emperor Charles V, who noted the island's strategic position, that it was repopulated.
In 1743, the city of Lipari had about 13,000 inhabitants, under the temporal authority of the King of Naples. The diocese was directly subject to the authority of the Pope, that is, Lipari had no regional Metropolitan. The Cathedral had a Chapter which contained four dignities (Archdeacon, Deacon, Cantor, Treasurer) and fifteen Canons.
On September 30, 1986, as part of a Vatican effort to reduce the number of redundant Italian dioceses, the diocese of Lipari was suppressed as an independent entity and incorporated into the Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela.